Our Strange Winter

The weather this year has been so strange.  I have enjoyed not driving on snowy roads, and shoveling the driveway.  But I have also missed snow covered trees,  ice cycles on the roof, and I am really worried about the lack of snow for our water needs next summer.

I got early daffodils also

We did get some snow this week, but the ground is so warm that it melted.  I hope it added some moisture to the ground and the bushes that we planted last year.  I have already been out watering them, since the snow didn't this year.

I finished a piece from the January Guild Workshop.  We had Joanne Hall teaching Swedish Art weaves.  The first piece looks pretty good and I want to weave two or three more to make into pillows.  The goal is to put them on a sofa/bed in the guest room.  We'll see how that goes.

Swedish tapestry and inlay patterns on a plain weave ground

You weave from the back, so this is what you see as you weave.

I used a mirror a lot when I was weaving to make sure I was putting the inlay in the correct place.  I only missed a couple of times!  The technique is not as slow as I thought it would be.  

For the Dukagang, I used a 1/3 lifting instead of the 1/2 that she showed in the workshop. The loom was threaded with a straight draw, so I was able to just use the shafts instead of doing pick-up to weave it.  That make the weaving much faster.  The Dukagang is the pattern that looks like columns.  I will use that technique with a different pattern in the other pillow fronts.

Since the warp is only about 10" wide.  I will add some fabric borders around the piece before I make the pillows.  I figured about 2" on each side would give me 14" pillows.  They should look great, and the loom is on the dining room table so it is an inducement for me to weave some each day!


I have been having fun with the rigid heddle looms.  I did some pick-up lace and I really like the scarf.

Scarf on the table

Scarf in front of the window

I found a skein of wool from a yarn rep's samples that I had been given years ago.  I like the white with the brown slub or tweed in it.  It reminds me of the winter snows and the shades of brown that we see in the trees (or at least what I remember of previous snowy winters)!  The pick-up made a Bronson lace and because it was pick-up and not shaft controlled, I was able to change the area of the lace and make the curving lines.  I was very pleased with this piece.  

Nice mat but not the square shape I had hoped for

The mat I made was not so great.  I didn't have much of the white cotton left and I made the warp too short.  Instead of the square mat for the center of the table I got a rectangular place-mat.  I will have to redo that piece when I get some more white 3/2 pearl cotton.

Have I been hiding from myself?

I have been thinking about writing here almost daily...but nothing has happened.  I have this feeling that I need to have the monumental happening to write about.  But in reality, I feel better when I just write about the things that happen.  

I have had a nice winter.  The weather right now is acting like spring, I hope that we get more water to make the summer easier. 

The crocus are early this year.

The year has started well...yes I did have one of those BIG birthdays, so that was a bit of a downer.  But my classes have been going well, and I attended a great workshop and had three days of fun with my weaving friends.

Swedish Art Weaves with Joanne Hall

You can just see my Dorothy table loom in the front of the picture.  I have just finished changing the levers to some on top of the castle.  I love the way she works now.  There is much less metal clanging and the levers are better to use.

The art weaves are fun to do, I had seen them in VAV and was pleased to learn how to do some of them.  I would like to make some pillow tops to go in the guest room...when I clean it up and make a guest room...!?

Teacher's Sample

I hope my piece looks half as good as the teacher's.  I have looked up some addition patterns to use on a couple of pillow fronts.

I will have to put a picture of mine...I have a one more pattern area to finish my first pillow top.

I was also able to finish an old project...one of the old "100 Projects" projects.  The shoe laces were woven and I did some circular weaving for the ends and I purchased electrician tubes to heat set on the ends.

Plastic aglets after heat setting.

I like how they look in the shoes.  I did make them similar, but not identical.  I think I will like them. 

My new hiking boots and laces.